I am a 48 year old male. The last few months I have been suffering from severe mood swings. I often feel jittery and panicky, and my mood is generally low. I have also been having personal issues. Are these feelings likely to subside when & if I can resolve my issues? What can you recommend to help? I've been taking Kalms tablets, but they seem pretty ineffective. I'm at a bit of a loss at the moment as to what to try next.

I tend to recommend that it is always worth consulting your GP or healthcare provider during periods of extreme stress or symptoms that you don't generally experience. They are medically equipped to diagnose the cause of the symptoms and rule out any other conditions.

They can also recommend counselling or CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) for helping to tackle personal challenges.

Once you are clear about the cause of your symptoms there are of course other avenues you can explore, if they are caused by stress. Two of my favourite techniques are life coaching or NLP. Both techniques entail working with a practitioner to find positive and suitable solutions to personal challenges.

Sometimes, when we are faced with difficult decisions, it is hard to see the wood for the trees and a person who is focused on helping you find solutions ideally suited to your personal needs can help with confidence and self esteem.

If you don't know of any practitioners locally, you could either ask friends for recommendations or check this link http://www.lifecoach-directory.org.uk/. It is always worth asking how and where the practitioner trained to ensure a sufficient level of qualification.

Here's what I recommend

Did you know?

When we feel stressed or anxious our body responds as though we are under attack, releasing a surge of adrenaline which can cause a number of baffling bodily behaviours including palpitations, shortness of breath and even a dry mouth!